In Toulouse, unsold bakery items transformed into dog treats
Not so long ago, Piers Garnham, the fourth generation in a milling family, still produced flour for bakeries near his water mill in Tonebridge Wells in the south-east of England. But, in 1997, after several floods, he finally came to settle in France, “a dream for a long time”.
“In England,” says the British entrepreneur, “I already had the idea of making gourmet food for dogs with my flour. In 2012, I told myself that I was going to use the inventories of bakeries. ”And, three years ago, he finally embarked on the adventure by imagining recipes, with the help of a consultant. Since May 2020, his company Manna Gascon has been offering dog treats under the Scraps brand in garden centers, pet stores or organic grocery stores.
Tomato-cheese, prunes-honey and spinach-kelp
Its products, available in four recipes, are now available in the three organic bakeries of the Frères Chapeliers, in Toulouse, attracted by the anti-waste concept, in accordance with their approach. “It’s a test to see if it can work in a bakery,” explains Piers Garnham. It is a circular economy approach because the products that are sold in their stores are made with their inventors, transformed into breadcrumbs. “
As one in four French people owns a dog, the founder of Manna Gascon hopes to convince customers and make other bakeries want to join the adventure. In the meantime, after the plain cookies, tomato-cheese, prunes-honey and spinach-kelp, Piers Garnham is thinking about new recipes.